Five Worlds: Monster Hunt
by DA2003
Summary: When a Killer Croc is found dead in Gotham, a new threat to Batman is uncovered. With the help of Captain America, the Dark Knight must find out who they are and how to stop them before it's too late. One Chapter Fic.


Five Worlds: Monster Hunt

Gotham City, April:

In the dark sewers, he ran while blood flowed down his face and stung his eyes. The wound wasn't too deep but along with the others, it caused him enough pain to worry. He rushed through the dark tunnels of the sewers, the liquid made of things no one should consider splashing around his heels as he lumbered onwards, panic pushing him onwards, away from her, away from the red cloak.

After turning a corner, he finally slowed down, hoping he'd managed to get away. Taking huge gulping breaths, he allowed a moment to relax, placing his good arm against the wall as he tried to consider his next move. He didn't have much in the way of actual thought anymore, instead relying on most of his basic instincts to get by. And now they were screaming at him to continue running while he still could.

A stab of pain went through his arm and he looked down to where red cloak had torn a chunk out of his arm. He was woozy from the blood loss and hadn't been able to find something to cover the wound to stop the flow of the blood. Leaning against the wall, he managed to steady his nerves and sense, finding some security that down here in the pitch black and the filth, she wouldn't be able to find him. She couldn't find him, not even the Bat knew the sewers like he did.

He'd get out of this. He'd escape to safety, recover and then get back at the girl who did this to him. He'd get his revenge. He'd…

"There you are Mr. Crocodile."

Killer Croc felt his heart plunge down to his stomach at the voice and he looked around to see the young girl who had chased him, who had taken the chunk out of his arm and laced him with armour piercing shells. He was unable to believe that she had tracked him down into the sewers before he saw the night vision goggles, showing how she could spot him in the darkness around them but her tracking skills must have been even greater than he'd thought if she had found him.

The girl gave a sweet smile as she stepped forward; pulling out a heavy gun from her wicker basket "I came here for one monster and get another one as well. Mr. Fury will think I'm such a good girl!"

Eyeing the gun nervously, Croc started to tense his body in preparation of leaping away. It was a huge revolver, twice the size of an ordinary one with a thick barrel the size of one of Croc's fingers. The cylinder contained bullets larger than anything else Croc had seen before, easily explaining the chunk two of the shots had taken from his arm and another which had grazed his head. Looking at it, could see the girl had reloaded, a full six bullets aimed right at him.

Croc looked around him; the tunnels were wide enough for him to move down but not enough to dodge well. He couldn't run without making himself a target. Without any other options, Croc once more went back to his instincts. And like all animals, it came down to fight or flight. Unable to flee, Croc chose to fight and lunged forward with a roar of desperation, bringing his good arm out to slash at her face.

Even with his superior reflexes and speed though, Croc proved to be too slow in his attack and the girl brought the gun to bear, shooting Croc dead on in the chest three times. The force of the thick armour piercing shells stalled Croc's assault and brought the large figure stumbling to a halt, landing on his hands and knees amid the filthy water. Amazingly, he had survived but he felt the bullet holes within him and each breath was slowly starting to become sheer agony.

"You're not so strong Mr. Crocodile." The girl said in a disapproving tone "I've had much better hunts before and you're not as tough as some others I've fought. You're only a warm up to the next act after all."

Croc looked up in surprise at that, the words sinking through even as he felt his life seeping from him as his chest poured with blood. He felt his lungs slowly fill with blood and the life drained from him. As strong as he was, as tough as he was, he was powerless before her, he was too beaten and had lost too much blood to fight back now "N-Next act?" He croaked out, confused as to what that meant.

The girl gave one of her eerie giggles once more and brought the barrel of the gun down to Croc's head "I'm here to kill monsters Mr. Crocodile, and you're only the first one."

With that, the trigger was pulled and the darkened sewer was lit up in a split second flash of light and a bang that echoed downwards through the tunnels. Gore and brains splattered out against the walls and fell into the filthy water. Green scales fell from Croc's head and floated amongst the viscera before going down with the flow of water. With a small splash, Croc's body fell into the water, utterly lifeless.

The girl looked down at Croc, nodding to herself in satisfaction o a job well done before pulling her red cloak closer to her body. It was cold down here she realised. The chase was over and the adrenaline was fading fast. She wrinkled her nose at the sudden invasion of smell to her nostrils, something she hadn't noticed when she had been on the hunt and tried not to breath in too hard. Realising that there was nothing else to do, the girl turned and walked down the tunnel of the sewers, leaving the corpse of Killer Croc to drift slowly with the pull of the water.

But in Gotham, everything was seen or heard by someone and in the darkness where the girl and not looked, a small rat shook from the loud noise before it picked its head up and started to run along the thin walkway of the tunnel to where it was being called. On its back was a small black box that started to crackle as the rat moved further into the sewers.

XXX

It was some time before the corpse of Croc was discovered, spending some time floating through the sewers before eventually being washed up along the shores of a Gotham beach where all the sewage was sent too. He was found by a tramp who had been wandering down the beach after drinking far too much as usual. The sight of Killer Croc without half of his skull had quickly sobered him up like little else had ever done and he had ran screaming as far as he could, alerting everyone around to the situation. It was a further five minutes before the police finally arrived, reinforced by a hastily assembled SWAT team. They wouldn't take any chances, not with Croc.

Finding that Croc was indeed truly dead, the word soon spread from the police to all over the city, much to the annoyance of Commissioner Gordon who found the press laying siege to the cordoned off area, demanding to know the truth. Commissioner Gordon found their presence to be a distraction, at best. If the reports he and the rest of the GCPD had received were completely true, then there were stranger things going on than usual. He ignored the questions of the reporters and instead headed down to the beach, unable to stop the hope from rising in his chest, despite feeling some guilt from that that.

Reaching the beach, Gordon only had to look for a second to know it was Croc. Granted, half his skull was missing and what he saw made him glad he'd skipped lunch but the bulky, scaled body was Croc alright. Gordon stared in amazement for some time at the sight, feeling somewhat conflicted. While unable to stop himself from feeling at least a small sense of relief that Croc was dead, Gordon also felt a small amount of worry grow inside of him as he considered exactly who, or what, could do this to Croc. Added to that was the reports he'd heard from Battergate where Croc was last seen before he died.

"Should we hold off the party until the funeral Commish?" Bullock asked, causing Gordon to look at the large and dishevelled officer witheringly.

"Maybe we should wait until we found out what was able to do this before we consider celebrating Bullock." Gordon said testily as he looked around the scene, trying to gauge any possible clues. The light was fading in the evening and already electric lights were being brought from police vans to let the investigators continue their work in the light.

"How long do you think until Batman shows up?" Bullock asked out loud as he glared into the shadows, trying to discern any pointy eared shapes in the approaching darkness.

The beach was largely bare with sand going in either direction. A pier stood in the distance that stood out in the low tide and would have provided Batman enough cover to look on the scene but Gordon saw no tell-tale signs of anyone's presence, not that that meant much with Batman anyway.

The Commissioner steeled himself before he crouched beside the corpse, seeing if there was anything he could make out from it. Looking down though, all he saw were the clothes on Croc, stained from his own blood and Heavens knew what from the sewers. The hole in his head was disturbing enough without considering what else he had been through "Keep the press away at all costs." Gordon said "The last thing we need right now is for people to think that it's fine to start hunting down Arkham inmates."

"Would that really be so bad Commish? Make our jobs a lot more easy."

"As it'll lead to dozens of people getting killed out of stupidity and malice, I would rather avoid that Bullock." Gordon snapped at the policeman's callousness before rising back to an upright position "Go over the entire scene with a fine toothcomb, leave nothing unturned. I also want a unit to head down to Battergate and find out what they can. Take SWAT with them if they have to but I want answers!"

Bullock nodded in agreement before looking down at Croc's corpse one last time and grimacing slightly "To be serious Commish, I really don't wanna meet the person who could do that to Croc."

"Neither would I." Gordon said quietly to himself as he looked at the CSI's starting their examination of the scene. It promised to be a long night with more questions being raised than being answered.

XXX

_Crocodile Monster was dead. Mr. Fury would be happy. Now the Bat Monster shall be next. Mr. Fury will like that. It's what the Doctor told her to do. Kill the monsters. Kill them so they wouldn't hurt anyone. Anyone like Nana. She was a good girl. Good girls do what they're told._

XXX

It had been a pleasant evening up until this point. A good meal, some pleasant music and a deal that would help flood Gotham with drugs with the profits going right to where they belonged. Oh yes, it had been a fairly good evening for Oswald Cobblepot, up until Otis Flannegan had burst into the Iceberg Lounge and demanded to see the Penguin, pleading for protection. Rather than break the man's thumbs and throw him out like he had wanted, the sheer desperation of the man had piqued Cobblepot's curiosity and he had been invited in for a private interview.

After a few drinks to steady his nerves, Flannegan started to tell his story although Cobblepot didn't really listen too much and had started to regret inviting him into an enclosed space. As a man who lived most of his days in a sewer, Flannegan lacked both proper hygiene and the ability to get to the point but he talked eventually and after playing a recording one of his many pets made, Cobblepot started to realise that the man's fears had some grounding to them "Have you shown this to anyone else?" He asked when Flannegan was done.

"N-No Penguin." Flannegan answered, the worse for wear after several hours of sheer terror and half a bottle of rather fine whisky "Came-Came right here t-t-too only guy I could trus'…"

"That might have been your first mistake." Cobblepot said to himself quietly, Flannegan far too drunk to hear properly and gave a sigh as the man before him started to drift back into his seat as a precursor of sleep "Take Mr. Flannegan to a comfortable bed and see that he gets some sleep." He ordered two of the guards within the office "I shall see to this matter personally."

"Ya good Penguin. Dun matter what the res' say about'cha." Flannegan mumbled as he was brought up on his feet and led out of the room.

With a shake of his head at such a lack of dignity, Cobblepot looked down at the recording device with a mixture of distaste and unease. Flannegan had apparently been using his rats for blackmail purposes, sending them through the sewers out to the houses of the rich and powerful to record whatever dirty little secrets they could find. Why he tried such a method Penguin couldn't fathom but once you gave yourself the moniker 'Rat-Catcher', you had to work with it.

"You want us to get rid of him boss?" One of the thugs at the door asked, voicing a thought Cobblepot had indeed been considering.

"No… At least, not yet." Cobblepot answered before looking down at the device once more, reviewing his options and not liking any of them. If the recording was everything Penguin suspected it to be, then it appeared that SHIELD had sent out an agent to kill several of Gotham's more infamous residents. Cobblepot wasn't entirely surprised that they had done such a thing but something about this seemed… off. If SHIELD were truly going to finally kill those who plagued Gotham's streets, would they send someone who sounded like a teenage girl whose words pointed towards a less than firm grasp of sanity itself?

And why hunt down Croc to start things off? Aside from him and the Riddler, Arkham Asylum still had most of its infamous denizens locked up. SHIELD surely had the capability to annihilate the place and its inhabitants with one fell swoop; going after a thug like Croc to start things off simply didn't make sense.

With a sigh of annoyance, Cobblepot rose from his chair behind the desk "Get me my coat and umbrella; we need to pay a visit to the police, as much as such a thing pains me."

XXX

The night had been as busy as Gordon had expected, the media had been all over rumours of Killer Croc's death and he had released a short statement confirming the death of one Killer Croc, AKA Waylon Jones. The frenzy that had followed was understandable, Croc's victims numbered in the dozens and more than a few were glad to see him dead. But such delight in anyone's death always set Gordon on edge.

In his office, Gordon read over the reports of the night with a preliminary write up from the CSI's. It had only been eight hours since they had started but they had managed to give a basic idea of where things were going. Along with that was a report from Battergate, a general idea was coming through of events but Gordon still found it hard to believe what it pointed too. Several homeless people had seen Croc make his way through Battergate, heading towards a lair he had set up from the last time he had escaped.

From what the witnesses had seen, Croc had been attacked while making his way through the torn streets of Battergate. The two fought with Croc's attacker using enough guns and explosives to level an entire building down on the Arkham escapee. After a brutal battle, Croc had fled into the sewers and his attacker had followed. While Gordon was willing to believe it to that point but where it all came apart was that the witnesses said that Croc's attacker was a teenage girl.

Gordon read and reread the witness reports and despite the less than lucid state a number of them were in, most agreed on the fact that Killer Croc had been attacked by a teenage girl wearing a red cloak. It was ridiculous but the witnesses were insistent on that fact and Gordon wracked his brain over it. He had left the window open wide in invitation for the one person he'd hope would provide insight to this and also sent around the description, such as it was, of the girl to try and bring her in.

The sound of something connecting with his window sill made Gordon breath out slightly and he quickly looked up, relieved to see the Dark Knight standing before him, Robin next to his partner "Any leads on the case?" He asked, in a voice that showed how certain he was that there would only be one case at the moment.

"You don't have any of your own?" Gordon asked, a little surprised at the question "Some, but none that seem to make sense. According to witnesses, Croc's killer was Little Red Riding Hood."

Despite himself, Gordon found himself enjoying Batman's look of bafflement that he almost managed to hide at that statement "Um… You mean red cloak, basket for granny Red Hood?" Robin asked, not quite as good as his mentor at hiding his emotions just yet.

"The one and the same." Gordon replied, handing over the witness statements to Batman "This is what we've pieced together from the few witnesses we could get from Battergate, all agree on the description of the person who attacked Croc. A young girl wearing a red cloak with enough ordinance to put a military supply depot to shame."

Batman grabbed the paper and started to scan through them, his face carefully blank as he looked over them "Has anyone seen her since Croc's body was found?"

"No, I've put an APB out for her but nothing's come up yet. Whoever she is, she's gone underground for the time being." Gordon watched as Batman quickly scanned the statements before then handing them over to Robin who did the same. He paused as he wondered whether to ask the question but knew that no stone should go unturned "That girl you saved from HYDRA…"

The question was never finished as a look from Batman gave him all the information he needed "I know," Gordon said to the expression on the Dark Knight's face "But I have to check every lead I can to solve this. Something's not right here and I really don't want it to turn out Croc's died due to someone's trying to take his place."

"Whoever she is, sounds like she'll fit right into Gotham." Robin commented as he read through the papers before giving a sheepish grin at the sharp look Batman gave him.

"I'll look into it Commissioner. I can't guarantee any results though, I've never heard of anyone fitting this description before."

"I'll get Captain America to help as well. His contacts in SHIELD should be able to help us in the search." Gordon said, knowing Batman wouldn't like that, he knew he had yet to get used to Captain America being in Gotham but refusing to let that bother him from taking every opportunity to solve this particular mystery.

For his part, Batman didn't make any objections, out loud anyway. Instead he simply looked back to Gordon "What're the plans for Croc's corpse?"

"After we're done with it, it'll be cremated and scattered over a wide area. And to be honest, I can't think of too many people who will be sad to see that happen. A waste of a life really, nothing but violence."

"That was the choice he made Commissioner, I'm sad to say that there are some we can't just help. Ultimately it's down to the choices they make; we can only do so much."

Gordon raised himself up from his chair, needing to get some air. He agreed with Batman but when you looked at the X-Men and the work they had done with people like Croc and it seemed as if there could have been more at least tried "I wish we could do more though, I really do… What's that?" Gordon asked out loud as he looked over to the buildings across the street and saw a shadow move across the roof while a small red light also lit up in the darkness.

Suddenly, all of Gordon's instincts screamed at him and he looked at Batman and Robin "Out through the door! Now!" He cried out, earning no question as the duo did exactly as the Commissioner said, rushing through the door with Gordon following behind them. The police at their desks looked up in bafflement as the trio burst through and the normally hectic station came to a shuddering halt as they all turned to look at the trio.

The silence that followed only lasted a second as Gordon shouted out "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Before he himself got behind a desk, hoping that he wasn't about to be made a fool of and yet hoping that he was at the same time.

Those thoughts ended the moment that an explosion tore through the building, coming from Gordon's office as the searing flame tore through the windows and wooden wall. Gordon had always preferred to work close to his officers, always wanting to be there in case things got really tough. He came to regret that decision now as the explosion sent shards of glass and wood shooting through the room. The deafening sound of the explosion made everyone clutch their ears to help drown out at least some of the noise although little could be done to protect from the sudden searing heat and several of the officers cried out from the burns on their skin.

Eventually, the roar of fire died down and the air started to clear as the force explosion lessened and what was left was a destroyed office that had small fires throughout. In the area outside Gordon's office, things weren't much better as desks were blown to pieces and fires were starting to spread while the groans of injured officers were heard throughout the room. Gordon rose to his feet shakily although determined not to show it "Everyone get as far away from the office as possible! Montoya, get an extinguisher on those flames! Bullock, call in a med unit! Allen, help the injured to the wall away from the fire!"

With his orders soon being followed, Gordon spared a glance to where Batman had landed only to see him gone and Robin helping with carrying several of the injured out of the reach of the flames. Noticing Gordon looking over at him as he helped Bullock carry an officer to the wall furthest from the fire, Robin called out "He went to track down the attacker and ordered me to help with the injured!" A quick roll of the eyes showed Gordon how much Robin thought of that order before getting back to work.

Grabbing a med kit from the wall, Gordon made his way over to where the injured officers were being placed, keeping out of the sight of the windows as not to be spotted. Whoever had launched the attack wouldn't hesitate to kill dozens in order to get their target. Kneeling down beside an officer with large cut on her forehead, Jim got to work helping stem the bleeding before he heard Bullock call out from across the room "Hey Commish! The Penguin's here to see ya! Says he's got evidence on who killed Croc!"

Quite a few officers paused and looked at Gordon at that before seeing the Commissioner remain with his injured men "Tell him he can wait until we've got this sorted out! Put him in a waiting room and make sure he doesn't leave!"

It was a rather petty move, Gordon was prepared to admit. But the fact that his officers needed him came first. That and the satisfaction of getting Cobblepot to wait on him for a change was something he'd enjoy.

XXX

As soon as the explosion had died down, Batman had given the order for Robin to stay and then made his way over to the building opposite the police station. He knew Robin would be better to help with injuries and protect anyone if this turned out to be a distraction. Having crossed the street with his grapplehook, Batman swung onto the roof and was on the alert instantly, looking for any signs that someone was up there.

He didn't have to look too hard as a modified RPG laid nearby, apparently having been discarded after the shot. Leaving it alone for the time being, Batman looked over the roof before heading over to an open skylight. Looking down, he saw the top floor of the apartment complex he was on, a corridor with the doors to the apartments visible in the moonlight. Heading over to the sides of the building first, Batman couldn't see anyone trying to make a getaway either on the ground or remaining on the fire escape.

Realising that the person had either long gone or made their way down to the building, Batman followed the logical path. Making sure there was no one down the corridor, Batman jumped down and scanned the immediate area. Gotham being Gotham, the noise of an explosion from across the street had made many simply resolve on being quiet and hoping to not attract attention while stealthily phoning the police and hoping they could resolve it. Not exactly heroic, but sensible enough.

Making his way cautiously down the corridor, the Dark Knight kept his ears open for the slightest sound, hearing the noise of various televisions and conversations coming through the thin walls. The area appeared to be clear as Batman made his way to the stairs and started to head down them, believing that their assailant had long gone by now when he heard a sobbing sound from a few flights down. Recognising the cries of those of a child, Batman sped up, hurrying down the stairs before coming across a small girl, curled up in a corner of a landing, sobbing softly with her hands pressed against her face.

Standing over her, Batman noted the girl seemed to barely be in her teens and had golden hair down to her shoulders. She wore a pink blouse with a white pinafore over a red dress, extremely old fashioned for a pensioner, never mind a girl in her teens "Are you alright?" Batman asked in as soft a tone as he could manage.

"L-Lost my dog. C-Can't find him and-and I've been looking for hours!" The girl sobbed, forcing Batman to supress a sigh. Despite his exasperation though, he couldn't leave any child like this, not when there was a killer on the loose anyway.

"Let me take you home so you can rest and you can start your search again tomorrow. Dogs usually go straight back home when…" He paused as he had started to lean towards the girl, offering his hand to help her up and saw a bundle of material pressed against the wall behind her. It was a blood red cloak with a hood just distinguishable on it.

At Batman's pause, the girl suddenly stopped sobbing and her hand disappeared into the pocket of her pinafore before shooting up towards Batman who stepped back just in time, the tip of the Bowie knife's blade missing his face by a few scant inches. Leaping back onto the stairs to gain height and distance, Batman saw the girl get up with speed that was almost inhuman as she draped the cloak and hood over her head before looking up.

Those eyes… With a realisation, Batman knew he had seen eyes like those only on one person before. Only these were framed with the face of a young girl, barely in her teens with a pretty face and blonde hair rather than the pale monstrosity that haunted Gotham's nightmares. They were eyes lit up in excitement, shining with the joy of knowing that they were about to kill, to feast on blood.

The girl giggled, a bright, almost innocent sound coming from her "The missile might have failed but I'll get you yet Monster. My knife always draws blood!" With that, the girl lunged forward with her arm sweeping in a large arc, the knife aiming for Batman's chest as he jumped backwards, just about missing the blade. Still caught off balance by this girl's demeanour and her age, the Dark Knight had to focus his thoughts before he went on the attack.

A feint to the right was quickly followed with his leg striking out with a quick sweep of the leg to knock the blade from the girl's hand. She didn't fall for it though and dodged back before sweeping with her blade, just missing Batman's leg by a mere second. Getting his balance back, the Dark Knight pressed the attack, striking the girl's right shoulder that staggered her and then kicking her in the chest, sending her flying into the ball with her back hitting the brick in a jarring impact.

For a moment, Batman had to resist the impact to check on the child. His every thought was to not hurt a child but the look in the girl's eyes and her weaponry told of someone willing to murder, who even enjoyed it. And the cloak cried out of her identity, that this was the girl who had killed Killer Croc. Whether or not she had an accomplice was something he could find out later, for now, there was only the fight.

"Stop!" He called out, letting the girl stand up and hoped she would listen "Give in and we don't have to fight."

"Then submit and die Monster!" The girl cried out "Submit and die fast!" Suddenly, the girl reached into her pinafore faster than Batman would have thought possible for someone her age and pulled out a huge revolver, pointing it directly at Batman and firing it with a deafening bang.

Despite his amazement, Batman had reacted in time to bring up a batarang and throw it towards the barrel of the gun, sending it to the side and blasting a hole in the wall. Following up on that, the Dark Knight dived forward with a blow to the girl's arm to weaken the hold on the gun before aiming a blow at her throat to take her down easier.

The girl's instincts provided to be far better than Batman had anticipated though as the girl simply dodged to the left and brought her knife up, managing to slash the outside of Batman's arm before he quickly withdrew it. Ignoring the pain, the Dark Knight noticed a trickle of blood running down to his fist. The girl was good, her equipment personalised and reflexes excellent. Now was a good a time as any to see how she held up against some real punishment.

Diving down as fast as he could, Batman crouched and then shot up, striking with one hand towards the girl's knife hand and hitting it with his palm. As the girl was distracted from that attack, Batman brought up his free arm and struck the girl with his fist in a blow that would fell most men. The girl was lifted off her feet and crumbled to the floor, her back resting against the wall as her head bobbed down.

Suddenly, the girl started to sob, her breath becoming ragged and tears falling down to her dress. For a moment, Batman let down his guard as he saw what was before him simply on the surface, a child in pain. That moment was all the girl needed as she snapped her arm up and brought her gun directly towards Batman's chest, shooting once at point blank range. If not for the body armour around the icon on his chest, Batman knew it would have killed him on the spot.

The impact from the bullet sent him crashing back onto the stairs, landing hard on his back as he felt pain lance through his ribcage. Every breath he took was sheer agony as the shot he'd gotten from the bullet bruised several ribs easily. The bullet was imbedded almost in the very centre of his chest icon. His ragged breaths came out as he tried to focus simply on regaining his strength after such a blow while the girl stood up, wiping away some blood from her lip before bringing up the gun once more "Got you." She whispered "One more monster down…"

Before the final shot could be made, a blur of red, white and blue struck downwards, hitting the outstretched gun and making the girl cry out in shock before both she and Batman looked up to see Captain America standing at the staircase above them, holding out his hand to catch his shield as it rebounded back to him "Stay where you are!" Cap ordered as he leapt off the staircase down onto the one below, landing on the steps just above Batman.

The girl's expression changed oddly, Batman staring at her as he saw the strange contortions her face took on before she reached into her pinafore and threw an object out from it; one that Batman recognised instantly "Flashbang!" He shouted in warning before covering his eyes and ears as best he could. The warning ended just as the explosion started, the sudden burst of light so close to them, mixed with a roar of sound that almost deafened Batman. The sound soon passed however and the glare that went through even his eyelids faded. Below, he heard the slam of a door and realised that girl hadn't been idle in the distraction.

Opening his eyes, Batman could see that an empty space where the girl had been "Are you alright?" He heard Cap ask and Batman got to his feet in response, ignoring the aches in chest for now as he looked down to the stolen gun and picked it up.

"Custom job heavily modified to deal with armour." Batman said out loud, realising that anything less than the armour he had been wearing would have meant his death. As he felt another stab of pain in his chest, Batman hid it before putting the fun in one of the pouches on his belt.

"That needs to go to the police as evidence after we've caught your assailant." Cap said firmly.

"You should have chased after her if you wanted that." Batman replied before he started to head down the stairs as fast as he could manage "She'll be long gone by now and we need to get to the police station anyway."

"To set up a perimeter around the city so she doesn't escape, I agree." Cap said, quickly following Batman down the stairs.

"No, she doesn't want to escape. She isn't done yet. I'm a target for her and Gordon might be one too."

The two heroes continued down the stairs, Batman feeling Cap's glare at the back of his head but not caring about it, there were more important things to concern themselves with "Odd timing, you showing up then." He ventured as they reached the bottom, still keeping an eye out for the girl.

"Is that the closest thing I'm going to get to a thank you?" Cap asked, letting the annoyance he was feeling show in his voice "If you must know, I was on patrol when I was saw the attack on the police station, I arrived just in time to see you go to the roof and decided to follow."

Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, the two were greeted by the fire door leading outside being shut tight. Both men's eyes looked around with Cap being the first to see the wire below "She does work fast." He said as he got down to his knees, seeing the wire lead from the corner of the door to a grenade that had been locked against the wall with some sealant. The wire was attached to its pin and for anyone not paying attention, they'd have blown themselves to pieces had they opened the door. It was an obvious trap, but one that spoke to how fast the girl could work.

Snapping the wire in half, Cap removed the grenade from its place and kept it close "Who was she? She must have had good training to… set up this so quickly."

Knowing that Cap had opted for something more diplomatic than 'beat you', Batman focused on what had been said "I underestimated her greatly. But she has military training at the very least. And some experience with modified weaponry if her equipment is anything to go by."

Opening the door, Batman took a breath of air with that familiar Gotham tang that hit the tongue and nose like it was being shoved up there. The alley they walked out to was clear of practically everything, the girl having made good her escape. Batman frowned as he picked up the pace, heading towards the police station with Cap following behind him.

XXX

Batman's fears of Gordon being the target thankfully turned out to be untrue as they arrived back in the police station. Despite the injuries amongst the police, everything had been brought to some form of order with medical personnel taking care of those worse for wear and the flames had been put out completely. Robin had been the quickest in dealing with the problems although he looked a bit put out as Batman arrived although that soon vanished as he noticed the slower pace in Batman's walk "Are you…"

"They escaped, the person who launched the attack." Batman said, cutting off the question. He couldn't be seen to be injured in anyway. He had arrived in the office that had seen the worst of the attack with injured police officers near the back. Most of them appeared fine although he could see some with concussions or worse. What surprised him however was seeing Commission Gordon arguing with the Penguin who had two of his goons backing him up. However, Gordon had Renee Montoya and Harvey Bullock at his side, more than a match for anything the Penguin could throw at them.

"… Doing the duty of any good citizen by giving you key information and you snub me as if I was a shoe shine boy! Well enough Gordon! I shall speak directly to the Mayor about this! I'll see to it that… that…"

The hush that had descended over the room had finally caught up to Cobblepot's ears and the man turned around to see what everyone was staring at "Oh, it's you." He said in a less than gracious tone at seeing Batman "And I see you have our resident patriot with you." He added upon seeing Cap. Having failed to make a good impression in a meeting after Cap had first arrived in Gotham, Batman knew that Cobblepot wouldn't bother trying now.

"What're you doing here Penguin?" Batman demanded, the growl in his voice coming from his injured ribs but from the look on Cobblepot's face, he hadn't caught up to that fact.

"He was about to hand over evidence regarding Killer Croc's murder." Gordon interjected "Weren't you Mr. Cobblepot?"

Penguin glared at Gordon for having cut off any response but he rallied with a sneer "Of course, it's with a sense of civic duty that I do this but I should think that any help that goes towards capturing such a criminal is something that should be rewarded, don't you? After all, after I convinced Mr. Flannegan to hand over such evidence. I would think that my help requires some…"

"Whatever it is, hand it over. Now."

For a moment, Cobblepot tried to meet Batman's gaze in defiance but gave in after mere seconds before reaching into his pocket and throwing a plastic wrapped bundle at the Dark Knight "Here it is damn you!" He snarled "But don't expect such help from me again!" With that, Cobblepot turned and left the room with his goons in tow.

Not even bothering to watch Cobblepot leave, Batman instead focused on the small item he had been so roughly given. Unwrapping the plastic around it, he found a small recording device "I think it's best if we take this up on the roof Commissioner."

Gordon didn't answer at first, instead giving instructions to Bullock to keep everything under control before he led the way up to the roof, Cap and Robin following. The force had been taken care of and Batman was certain that it was connected with the attack on the police station.

As they reached the rooftop, Gordon showed that he had been thinking along similar lines by asking "So I take it whoever launched that attack had something to do with Croc?"

"We're about to find out." Batman replied before pressing the play button on the device. Everyone stood in silence as they started to listen to the recording, the sound of poor quality and with the background noise of running water heard throughout. Despite that, they managed to hear every word with growing amazement until it ended, and everyone turned to Cap.

"Fury sent her?" Batman demanded, a chill in his voice as he glared at Cap. The Star Spangled hero looked shocked though, his mouth hanging open as he tried to process what he had heard.

Trying to give a reply, all Cap could do was say "I-I will get to the bottom of this. Fury wouldn't… This isn't right."

"Wait, so you're telling me that the person who killed Killer Croc, actually was a young girl?"

"Yes, she seemed to be in her mid-teens at most. That was the one who attacked us as well." Batman responded "She was a professional in weapons and combat. She managed to escape from Cap-"

"Now wait…"

"And she seems to be supported by SHIELD. That would explain the training and the equipment." Batman paused as he looked at the recording device as Gordon shook his head beside him.

"SHIELD recruiting teenagers?" The Commissioner looked at Cap, not accusing but very concerned "I'm going to have to ask you to contact Fury, I want to know if this is as bad as it seems."

Cap's face, as much as could be seen behind his mask, was set with a grim look of determination "If this is as bad as it seems, I want answers as well. And Fury shall give them to me."

Gordon simply walked to the edge of the building in reply, looking almost lost for a moment before he rallied and looked at the three before him "Let us have a full description of this girl and I'll put down an APB for her. If she's as good as you say she is, I'll order everyone to give her a wide berth. Cap; get on to Fury as fast as you can and find out she is what she claimed to be."

A cold wind blew suddenly over the roof and Batman kept a close eye on Captain America, checking his body language for any sign that he might be lying. There was none that he could see but that could easily mean that Fury had simply kept the matter secret, which was only to be expected of the man. Still trying to fight the pain that came with every breath from his damaged ribs, he handed the device over to Gordon "I'll need a copy of that at some point, even if I'm only making sure of the smallest detail."

"It'll be done." Gordon replied, looking at the device curiously "Although I'm not sure we could get much more than what we heard though."

"We'll get what we can." Batman said before heading towards the roof edge, Robin following him as they both got out of their grappling guns "I'll keep in touch and be on the lookout for this girl."

"Just you?" Robin asked with a smirk that soon turned to a sheepish look as Batman glared at him. Without anything else, Batman shot his hook onto a nearby roof before heading off into the night, Robin following behind him.

XXX

_Why'd the colourful man help the Bat Monster? He wasn't supposed to do that. No one was. The Bat Monster wasn't supposed to have anyone to help him. No, it had gone wrong. But she'd stop him, she'd kill the Bat Monster. But what about the colourful man? He wasn't a monster. Normal people weren't supposed to help monsters. She'd ask the Doctor. He'd help; he always knew what to do. He'd tell her how to be a good girl. So Nana would be proud._

XXX

The Bat Cave had the world's largest database of criminals and photos of them, as well as one of the largest database of police agents around. For an hour, Batman had been feeding data into it, looking for the name and identity of the girl who had attacked him. He had no luck though, whoever it had been, the girl was an unknown. From the Mafia to even Scotland Yard, no one had any idea as to who this girl was.

Sitting back in his chair before the huge computer, Batman frowned as he failed once more to put a name to the girl's face. It meant that he'd have to rely on Captain America to give them the information, something he did not like doing. Relying on someone else for information, someone he didn't even trust, was not a habit he wanted to get into. He put his hands on the armrests, trying to think of any other possibilities to follow when a noise from behind him distracted his attention.

Allowing himself to look away from the computer for a moment, Batman saw that Dick's two month rivalry still wasn't going well for him. A space had been cleared out in the cave with a mat set down for sparring purposes and Dick was currently on the receiving end of a rather embarrassing beat down courtesy of Julia, the girl Batman had saved from HYDRA only two months ago.

It seemed like an ill suiting name considering the girl had been found in ill-fitting clothing and fought with the skill that out shadowed even Batman's but after Alfred had given the name to her, it had stuck. She hadn't left the Manor since she had arrived, Batman hadn't wanted to risk HYDRA or SHIELD finding the girl once more and Alfred had seen to the girl's care for the most part although Dick had happily fallen into the role of big brother.

Although such a role wasn't one Dick found completely smooth. He had been in competition with her throughout the two months in one form or another, races, games and sparring. All physical activities were where Julia dominated and her unparalleled skills in fighting meant that Dick always ate mat. He still hadn't stopped though, determined to win and seeing that it was a release for the younger girl. She enjoyed her martial arts, but communication remained difficult, any comment to her was returned by her usual steady gaze, one that perceived, but didn't seem to fully understand.

Clad in a Karate gi, Julia stood in a defensive position as Dick was lying on his back, having just been hit with a toss from Julia. The girl was proving that she was still a supremely better fighter as Dick hadn't even gotten one move in that she hadn't reversed or countered. Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Dick sat back up and looked over his shoulder towards Julia "OK… So I let you have that one. This time, I'll get you good though!"

Julia responded with a sceptical look as she once more got into position to continue the fight before Batman interrupted "Enough for tonight, both of you. It's time you got to bed."

Dick looked disappointed at that but turned and bowed to Julia who responded in kind "I'll get you next time." He promised with a smile, something else that Julia responded with one of her own.

Just as Julia walked towards the steps, Batman called out "Just a moment Dick, I'll need to speak to you for a moment."

Dick shrugged at Julia before heading over to the computer beside Batman "I suppose you were wondering why I ordered you to remain behind when the attack happened earlier."

"You didn't want me to get hurt, right?" Dick replied, having guessed at the motivation already.

Batman stood and turned around to face Dick before he pulled back the cowl to reveal his true face, to show Bruce "Not exactly." He replied "I never want to see you hurt of course but I've also seen your skills develop a lot over the last year and a half and I left you there to protect Gordon and his men. I relied on your abilities to protect them in case there was more than one assault."

Dick paused at that before breaking out into a smile "So… I'm that good then?" He asked, showing a sign of arrogance to mask the overwhelming pride he must have felt from the trust he'd been shown.

Trying not to smile too much Bruce shrugged "Probably not if Julia has you beat every time you step in a match with her. Maybe she'd be interested in being the new Robin…"

It took a few moments before Dick caught onto the humour in Bruce's voice and letting out a groan "I think I prefer you when you're your normal self."

"And what is my normal self?" Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow.

"… I'm going to bed." Was the answer, Dick heading off up the stairs before he could put his foot further into his mouth. Bruce gave a small smile before looking back to the computer as his smile turned to a frown, there were no leads he could find from this end, all his searches had ended in failure. Reaching over, Batman turned the computer off and started to head towards the stairs himself, reasoning he might as well get some sleep for tomorrow.

Bruce paused for a moment as he considered the night's events. A new person had come into Gotham, a new factor who had killed Killer Croc in an almost casual manner. It was something Bruce had to admit he felt conflicted on. Croc had been a killer, barely human as his intelligence degraded over the years but there was still a man inside and his murder deserved justice. The girl would be brought in, he would not allow anyone to get away with murder in Gotham.

As the computer screen went dark, Bruce went to leave the cave, the lights shutting down behind him as all went black.

SHIELD Helicarrier, April:

The SHIELD agents who were familiar with at least seeing Captain America on board the SHIELD Helicarrier knew that he was normally an approachable person, willing to at least exchange greetings and a friendly word if he wasn't busy. Today proved to be very different however as Cap walked through the corridors of the Helicarrier, his jaw set and eyes focused on dead ahead, not paying attention to anyone along the way as he walked towards the bridge, knowing that's where Fury would be.

The various SHIELD agents on the bridge greeted Cap's arrival with some surprise, looking at the star spangled hero with admiration and minor alarm, as if expecting something terrible to happen from such an unexpected show. Cap ignored that for the time being though as he gazed over the bridge and to the man standing where the bridge was lit by the huge glass windows, looking down at the clouds below.

Noticing Cap get close, Fury gave a salute while remaining poker faced "Wasn't expecting to see you Cap."

"We need to talk Fury. In private." Cap replied, gaining some curious looks in response from the SHIELD agents around them.

Fury said nothing for a moment before nodding silently "Hill, you have command until I return." He said to the young woman by the monitor screens. After giving out the order, Fury led Cap out through a door at the opposite end of the bridge. A small office that Fury sometimes used when he had time for paperwork before taking command once more greeted the two men before the door shut behind them "Alright Cap, what's the problem?"

Wordlessly, Cap reached into a touch at his belt and pulled out a tape player with a spare recording of the girl and Croc on it before pressing the play button. Cap watched Fury's expression like a hawk, looking for any sign of recognition that may have crossed it, seeing one after the girl had said a few words. Letting the recording play to the end, Cap finally pressed the stop button "Who is she Fury?" He demanded.

For several long moments, Fury didn't answer. Instead, the leader of SHIELD stared off into the distance before finally asking "Just where did you get that?"

"Answer the question Fury. But so you know, this was recorded in the sewers of Gotham, right before this girl launched a rocket directly into a Police Department, injuring over a dozen officers. She's trying to Kill Batman Fury. Now tell me, who is she?"

Fury looked Cap in the eyes and there was a small showing of an odd mix of relief and fear in his expression "Her name is Bonnie Hood." He said finally "And she's a level ten SHIELD agent attached to our Paranormal Division."

"Level Ten?!" Cap asked, amazed at this "But she's barely more than a child."

"Fifteen years old and been a full-fledged agent since she was twelve." Fury responded before sitting down heavily on a chair "Level Ten reflects the security behind her information, not exactly how much clearance she has. Hood is one of our agents who we send in to deal with magic and similar threats. And she's the best one we have; never failed a mission and her abilities are almost up there with yours."

The assessment of the girl's skill quickly left Cap's attention as he focused on something else that had horrified him to his core "Twelve… Fury, are you using children as soldiers?"

"An agent of SHIELD." Fury replied coolly before shrugging at Cap's expression "I didn't do anything to her Cap, she was near death before SHIELD took her in and her mind was fragmented. She saw her family tore to pieces by Werewolves when she was eight years old. Barely three days later, she'd hunted down and killed every last one of them before the authorities found her. Do you realise how much training a person needs before they're even close to that level?"

"She was a CHILD!" Cap shouted, his anger reaching boiling point as he got directly into Fury's face "You're telling me that when you had a child who'd seen her own family slaughtered before her, that instead of giving her the care and help she needed, you turned her into one of your agents?!"

A withering look from Fury only served to anger Cap further as the hero resisted the urge to slam the man's face into the wall "And what would have been the point of that?" Fury answered eventually "A lifetime of medical wards and drugs, that's all she would have gotten elsewhere. I saw her after what happened Cap; no one could have functioned normally after what happened to her. I gave her purpose and direction."

"To kill Batman?" Cap snapped, realising it'd be futile to get into this debate when time was short. If this girl was as good as Fury said, Batman was in worse danger than he thought "Why did you send her Fury?"

For the first time since the two started talking, Fury actually looked uncomfortable "I hadn't sent her after Batman. Last week I'd sent her to a facility in Geneva for her annual psyche evaluation. She went AWOL straight after and hasn't been seen since. I have nothing to do with her being in Gotham or her attacks there. But I can guarantee you that I'll have that place flooded with SHIELD agents by noon to bring her back in. And I want you to lead them."

Cap met Fury's gaze before slowly nodding at the order "Very well Fury, I'll do so. But I'll want every single file you have on the girl. I need to know everything about her, send me tapes of her psyche evaluation if you have them and everything else."

A twitch of annoyance showed across Fury's face at the order but he nodded in return "Alright, you'll get all of it if it'll help."

"It will." Cap said before sensing that there was little else he could do when he needed to bring Bonnie in. He wouldn't let things just end now though as he spoke one final time "I will be letting the League and UN know of this Fury. Your actions are indefensible."

"We'll see if the UN feels that way Cap." Fury responded before rising from the chair "But as for the League, they have no authority with SHIELD. They need us for the clean ups and the leg work."

"Maybe it's time that changed." Cap retorted before opening the door and leaving Fury on his own, sick of the sight of him. He'd get the information he needed but it would be a long time before he'd want to ask Fury for help again.

Gotham City, April:

The spring Sun was warmer than it had been for some time, even the sharp winds of the last few weeks had dropped making it pleasant to be outside. Taking the opportunity, Alfred had put on a thin jacket and spent his lunch hour wandering out amongst the Wayne Manor grounds, Julia close beside him as she looked at the budding trees in her usual silence. A small path leading from the servant's entrance led out to the trees surrounding the Manor itself. Once used years ago as an alternative way off the estate, it had long since fallen into disuse so it was barely more than a thin trail where the grass only just grew.

Above and to the sides were large oak trees that would provide shade in the summer but for now, their branches hung over and were only just starting to bud. Having put on a thin overcoat over his uniform, Alfred had stepped out to enjoy the air and Julia walked beside him, the two ambling along in silence.

Alfred wasn't entirely sure why the girl had taken a shining to him above Dick; the boy had acted as her brother in all but name these last few weeks after all. But he had enjoyed her company, having no one else while Dick was at school or he and Bruce were on patrol. Any company was welcomed and Julia, although quiet, was pleasant and eager to learn everything she could. Even using cutlery had seemed to be a new experience with her and had taken a few tries to teach the girl how to wield a fork properly. Teaching her to read and write had been even more difficult and it wasn't long before Julia had been diagnosed with dyslexia, making her studies incredibly difficult.

It had been largely down to Alfred and Dick to teach her the basics in life, although Alfred had been the one to move beyond the simpler things. He doubted the girl had ever had a proper bath before she came into the household or a decent meal for that matter. He knew for a fact that Julia had gained at least a little weight and now looked quite healthy, a nice contrast from her scrawny and dirty appearance when she first woke up in the cave. Other things such as even speaking basic words also eluded Julia although Alfred knew she was trying her hardest to learn. He was confident that she would learn in time.

Alfred paused along a path that went under the trees of Wayne grounds, taking in a sniff of the spring air with some relish. Beside him, Julia looked at the butler curiously before doing the same, earning a smile from the older man in response "Much better than the air down in the cave, wouldn't you say Miss Julia?"

The girl gave Alfred her customary curious gaze before smiling back and walking ahead a few paces, taking in the sight of the flowers around them. It had been tricky to get clothes for Julia at first, the fact they couldn't risk taking her out in public in case SHIELD found her meant that she had to do with some of Dick's outfits that had been modified for her before clothes of her size could be discreetly ordered. She had opted for clothes that allowed her easy movement, well-fitting trousers and t-shirts along with the occasional jacket for warmth appeared to be Julia's favourite. For today she had gone for white running shoes with black trousers and a matching t-shirt and jacket in the black and gold of the Gotham Knights.

As Julia walked amongst the barely budded flowers, she looked around her, taking in every detail along the path and their surroundings. With a certain amount of sadness, Alfred recognised the look Master Bruce often had on his face when looking through photos of areas he was going to patrol through. It was one of clinical thought and one that measured up the best ways to use the ground to the person's advantage in any circumstance.

Alfred once again found himself what sort of upbringing a child could have where that would be their very instinct to do something like that in every situation. And once again, a part of him wished he would never find out. It had been bad enough that Master Bruce had fallen into the habit after years of training, but do it from childhood? Whatever possibility Alfred considered, it was one that leant itself to disturbing images. He then thought back to what Master Bruce had said of the girl who had fought with him, one who was willing to attack the police station and had fought him to a standstill. A child who could do that, that was something that Alfred found disturbing all in its own right.

A movement from Julia made Alfred bring himself from out of his thoughts as the young girl had brushed her hand against a flower from the ground, a bright yellow tulip in fact, blooming early. She looked at in admiration and Alfred realised it was entirely possible that she'd never seen a flower quite like it before "That's a tulip Miss Julia. Quite early in bloom as well. You like the look of it?"

Julia looked to Alfred and then back to the flower, the look in her eyes telling him everything "In that case, I believe I shall buy some seeds when I next go shopping. I'll teach you to grow your own flowers."

Looking towards Alfred, Julia frowned in concentration, trying to understand what he had said. She first indicated the flower and then herself before Alfred nodded "Yes, your own flowers. I think you could do with something more than just training, don't you?"

Julia gave a rather sceptical look in response to this which gained a smile from Alfred "Well, come along. Our walk isn't done quite yet." He announced before heading off down the path, Julia giving one last look at the flower before smiling and then following after Alfred.

XXX

It appeared to be a quiet day at first, nothing much to do but the usual business of Wayne Enterprises. Lucius had the company running well and all Bruce had to do was pop in to keep up appearances and look into any potential shady dealing his directors might try to get up to. Everything had been calm though and business was running smoothly with the company's attempts to reinvigorate the slums going surprisingly well.

It had seemed as if the day would end simply enough when Bruce spotted her, the girl who had attacked him just last night. He was just about to leave, getting into a limo to go home when the flash of a red cloak caught his eye. Bruce paused as he looked over to the girl, seeing her walk through the streets as if she didn't have a care in the world, a slight smile on her face.

Cursing the timing, Bruce remembered that this limo was outfitted with spare suit in a hidden compartment and the chauffer was new, having replaced Alfred in those duties while he looked after Julia at the Manor. Working up the effort to smile in his most casual manner, Bruce looked over to the young man "I think I'll drive myself today?"

"Huh?" The chauffer said, looking confused. He had been given the job as Wayne's chauffer some weeks ago and found it to be the easiest job he could remember having. Wayne only ever wanted driving from his Manor to his office only a few times a week and all the mechanics were seen to by his butler "But what about…?"

"Here's bus fare." Bruce interrupted, taking a $50 note from his wallet and handing it over "Donate what's left to the Wayne Foundation won't you?"

"Uh… sure." Was the stunned reply as the chauffer simply stood and watched as Bruce Wayne took off in his car, thinking just how lucky he was to have gotten this job.

Bruce didn't have far to drive, one of his satellite caves was close by that had been installed when he'd realised that SHIELD were onto him. Places to hide outside the Manor were a necessity in the event SHIELD ever found out who Batman really was. And one was only a few streets away from the head office of Wayne Enterprises itself. Pulling into the underground car park, Bruce activated an EMP signal that would interfere with the cameras long enough for him to change costume.

Before long, Bruce had changed into Batman and was in the satellite cave under the building itself where a motorcycle was kept. The entrance to the cave was hidden well and no one noticed the bike burst out from it until it was out on the streets. Batman made his way through the streets to back where he had seen the girl only to arrive too late, she'd gone. Not giving up, Batman started to ride through the streets nearby, knowing she couldn't outrun him this time.

He started scouting around the block, ignoring the looks of passers-by when he heard a gunshot come from within the alleys of the high office buildings around him. Going into one of the alleyways, Batman was forced to leave the bike and after engaging its security measures, went into the darkness. Despite, or because of, being in one of Gotham's richest areas, beggars and muggers prowled the shadows of this part of the city on occasion and there was always a love level risk of encountering one or the other. Sure, the police were far more likely to come to this place and catch you but when you're a junkie with a need for another score and a knife in your hand, you had to take the risk.

The Sun was still in the sky but failed to offer much light in these areas. The buildings were too high and the wind didn't come through much. Batman prowled through the thin passageways, on the lookout for anything when he heard a voice echo against the tightly packed walls.

"No please! I'll leave you alone! For God's sake don-!" A second gunshot echoed through the alleyway, silencing the man's voice for good. Getting his bearings, Batman ran towards where the sound seemed to come from. He didn't have far to go as only a few seconds led him to the scene and the girl standing over two victims. Both were dead already, a gun wound going straight through their skulls with the viscera of it struck against the walls of the building nearby. Both were bodies slumped down face first in the ground, their end having been short and violent. They were in a small opening of the back of the buildings, opening up as there was space between four separate office buildings with doors leading into some and a dumpster against one wall.

In the middle of it all stood the girl, a similar revolver to the one before in hand as well as basket in the other, the smoke from her gun still lingering as she saw Batman come out from the alley. She gasped in surprise before her expression hardened "I knew it!" She snarled "Only a monster would attack a person like me! You must have used them to try to kill me!"

Without waiting, Batman reached into his pouches and threw two batarangs at the girl, both of which were shot out of the air before another bullet was fired at Batman, forcing him to dive back into the alley "I'm not trying to kill you!" He shouted while reaching for a flash bang "And those weren't monsters, they were people!"

"No!" The girl screamed "They were monsters and monsters deserve to die! They will all die so no more innocents are hurt!" An object sailed through the air towards Batman and he instinctively threw himself back. It proved to be a good move as the blast from the grenade would have seriously injured him had he remained where he was. Batman's cape shielded him the bits of mortar and brick the blast flung his way and he was thankful that the grenade hadn't been a shrapnel one.

Getting back up to his feet hastily, Batman flung the flash bang towards where the alley he had leapt from, the blinding light as it hit earning a cry of agony from the girl. Making the most of his opportunity, Batman rushed back after the light had faded, the girl unable to stop him as he kicked the gun from out of her hand before following it up with a punch to the face that sent her careening back into a wall. Not giving her a chance this time, Batman followed up by pressing his forearm against her throat, cutting off all chances of escape.

"The noise will bring the police here any moment." He said as he glared into the girl's dazed expression, the combination of his flash bang and physical attack having taken their toll "Why did you kill Croc? Why are you after me? Tell me!"

The girl blinked and recovered her senses in a worryingly fast time, her eyes focusing on Batman as she glared at him "I'm here to kill monsters. It's what I've always done. And you… You're the worst monster of all! You tricked the colourful man into helping you! You're a liar and I'll kill you so you won't hurt anyone!"

Batman stared at the ranting girl for a few seconds, seeing a form of madness in her he hadn't seen in many before "I only hurt those who hurt the innocent and I have never killed anyone." He replied in an earnest a tone as he could manage "I'm not a monster, I'm just like you."

"LIAR!" The girl screamed and she twisted her arm, the angle allowing a combat knife hidden up her sleeve to drop down to her hand from the change in angle. She swiped at Batman's face with the blade and forced him to step back to avoid getting stabbed "I'M NOT YOU! I'M NOT A MONSTER! I'M NOT!"

The fury of the girl had caught Batman by surprise but he fought back, countering the next blow from the knife with a block and then a punch to the girl's stomach as he fought his regret over having to do this to a child. The girl didn't go down however, showing stamina beyond her years as she managed to reach up with her spare hand and punched Batman on his exposed chin.

The force the girl applied made Batman realise that she was more than her thin frame suggested as he was staggered from the blow and felt a lance of pain go through his head. To punch like that meant that her build was deceptive and she must have trained in more than weapons. Despite that though, Batman shook off the effects of the punch and struck back with a kick to the girl's stomach before following it up with an elbow to the side of her head that sent her stumbling backwards "I don't know who's been telling you this." Batman said as he used the break in the fighting to hopefully speak sense to the girl "But I'm not a monster. I'm Human, same as you. No one else has to die if you simply give yourself up. Whoever's done this to you, whoever lied to you, we can bring them to justice."

For the first time, the girl seemed uncertain, Batman's words probably getting through to her. Whatever hope the Dark Knight had however came was broken when the girl's face hardened when the sound of police sirens were heard "You control them all." She muttered under her breath "I won't be brought down! Not by something like you! YOU WILL DIE!"

With that shriek, the girl pulled a small box from her apron and pressed a button on it before starting to run. Batman went to follow her before he noticed the basket the girl had been carrying earlier make a beeping sound. Knowing what was going to happen, Batman fled the way from which he came, not stopping for a moment. He burst from the alleys to see a small crowd of people had gathered around the motorcycle with some even taking pictures.

"GET AWAY! NOW!" The Dark Knight shouted mere seconds before the explosion started. Batman recalled the basket being a small thing, big enough to fit only a few objects in at most and a towel to hide the contents. So the question that went through Batman's mind at first was just what had the girl put in there to create an explosion that seemed to tear the World in half.

The roar of noise that came from the explosion was matched only by the blinding light that etched itself on Batman's eyes even as he shut them tight and crouched behind the motorcycle for protection. Shards of masonry were flung through the air as the buildings around the alleys were torn apart and flames were seen lifting high into the air. A warm blast of air hit the area where Batman was and thick dust followed it, coating the street with a layer of choking debris.

When the noise finally faded, Batman stood up and looked on with a sense of horror at the scene before him. The once high and mighty office buildings that stood before him and helped make up Gotham's economy had been ripped apart at the bottom. Smoke and flame choked what had once been offices and receptions and the sound of screaming was heard from those trapped inside the buildings.

Looking towards the crowd of shocked people around him, Batman took charge "Call the police and tell them what's happened!" He ordered the crowd "And stand back and get out of harm's way! Now!"

The tone of voice the Dark Knight used wasn't one to be disobeyed and many instantly took a step back rather than be shouted at again. Turning back to the smog of dust and the fire, Batman gritted his teeth before rushing forwards, determined to save as many lives as he could.

XXX

_Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human. Not a Human._

_Only a monster. He could only be a monster. Lies. He told lies. Not a Human. Doctor told the truth. He told her how to be a good girl. Not a Human. A city of monsters. A city that had to die. The Bat was lying. Monsters always lied. He would die. They would all die. Not a Human. None of them were Human. She would slaughter them all. And Nana would be proud._

XXX

Two hours had passed since the explosion and things had finally been brought under control. The police were keeping the press far away for the time being and the people had been rescued from the buildings, those who had survived anyway. The explosion had ripped apart the buildings of Gotham's old business like tissue paper and the people on the ground floors had suffered the worse. Over two dozen people were dead and many more injured, most of them Batman had pulled from the rubble and fires.

Now, with the worst of it over, Batman had retreated into the roof of a nearby building, gratefully taking in air that wasn't full of dust and debris. He looked down onto the street below where police, paramedics and fire-fighters were still trying to gain control of the fires within the buildings. They had done a good job of containing them and with all the people out of harm's way and now were simply working on battling the flames.

With the few minutes to rest, Batman considered an incident that had happened while he was carrying a woman out of one of the office buildings. The fire had started to get even worse and for a few moments, it seemed as if the exit had been cut off completely when he saw a blast of air and ice come from nowhere to put it out. The flames had obscured the source of the ice with only a safe passage to show that it had happened at all.

Most people would have doubted what they had seen under such circumstances but Batman was sure of what had happened. Someone or something had helped put out some of the flames and from what Batman had heard, even rescued some of the people inside the building. Several had thanked him for saving their lives when he knew that he couldn't have done so. Someone had been working in the building separate from him and despite Batman's wildest hopes, he doubted Mister Freeze had escaped from Arkham in the last day and turned over a new leaf.

Suppressing a sigh, Batman realised it was just another mystery he would have to consider on top of everything else. He felt a twinge in his ribs from the gunshot he had taken only a day before and knew that he wasn't completely recovered from the first assault the girl had put him through. Batman looked down over to Gotham, wondering where she was at this moment and how dangerous she truly was.

The sound of a door behind him opening drew Batman from his thoughts and he quickly stepped onto the ledge, preparing himself to jump of the roof when he saw who was coming through the doorway. The star spangled outfit gave away Cap straight away although a satchel at his side was new and Batman paused before stepping down off the ledge as the former soldier walked out onto the roof. Catching his eye, Cap quickly walked over to the Batman to greet him but was cut short with a brisk question "How did you find me?"

Batman noticed a small glint in Cap's eye at the question and Batman realised that he'd given Cap a small victory of sorts by catching him off guard, something that not many could boast of. The moment passed however and Cap replied "I've a keen eye. You're not the only one who observes situations closely after all." Cap looked down over the scene below as a cheer went up from the fire fighters as news of one of the worst blazes being put out spread among them "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. I heard you did a good job on helping evacuate everyone."

"Those who survived." Batman said with a touch of remorse in his voice "It was her again, the girl from before. I confronted her after hearing gunshots. Two men attempted to mug her and she'd killed them before I could stop it. She was the one who left the explosives behind. I should have scouted better; I should have waited until I was certain of what equipment she had on her."

Cap waited in silence as Batman admonished himself, the guilt of the deaths of the people from the girl's blast starting to prick at him. He felt a weariness edge into his soul as his body sagged from the exertion of the last few days "In truth, I think you've done as much as one person could do against this girl. Her name's Bonnie Hood and to be honest, it could have gone a lot worse if it had been anyone but you facing her."

Reaching into the satchel at his side, Cap pulled out a thick cardboard file before handing it over to Batman. The Dark Knight took the file and opened it before reading the papers within as Cap continued "She's a part of SHIELD's Paranormal Division and its best agent but went AWOL some time ago and resurfaced in Gotham. She also has one of the most fractured psyches I've ever seen going by her reports."

"Saw her only family brutally killed when she was only a child." Batman said without meaning too as he felt a chill go through him. He read through a short bio included within the files and the route she took after the incident "She was taken in by SHIELD? What the Hell was Fury thinking?!"

"That she had the potential to be a great agent." Cap answered with a note of utter disgust "I've informed the UN and Justice League of Fury's actions but we need to focus on Hood herself. I honestly think she needs help more than anything else. We have SHIELD agents coming into Gotham right now and I'm willing to call in any members of the Justice League to help." Cap spared a glance over the carnage below "I think someone like Hood warrants it."

For a while, Batman said nothing as he read the files, taking in everything about Bonnie until he was satisfied "No. That'd only make things worse."

"How?"

"She believes that everything that stands against her is a monster, something she has to kill to protect the innocent. Whatever Doctor Fury sent her to for psyche evaluation seems to have encouraged this psychosis. Innocents to be defended, monsters to be killed. She's so deep into her beliefs that anyone who opposes her will be killed on the basis that they're on my side and will be monsters. We need another way to bring her in that wouldn't result in a repeat of today."

Both men regarded each other before and the scene before them before Cap spoke "If you have a plan Batman, I'm willing to go along with it. But I need to know what you have planned before I can go along with anything. I know you like your secrets, but we have to be able to trust each other if we're going to function as a team."

The Dark Knight went to make a response before stopping himself in realising Captain America had a point. He had done what he said he would, uncovered the truth behind the girl and brought this information directly to him while seeing that Fury would answer for his actions. Taking someone into his confidence was something Batman found hard to do even with his closest compatriots but Cap was a man he knew he could trust and had more than earned it.

"Very well but I'll need total co-operation from you and SHIELD for this to work. I need to go over these files carefully and then work out the best way to approach this. Bonnie is already on the edge of a total break down and we have to avoid getting anyone else in the crossfire. I think I know a way to reach her but this will take a lot of preparation and more than a good deal of luck."

"In my experience, the best plans do." Cap replied with a wry smile, hoping that whatever Batman had planned, it would help not just Gotham, but Bonnie herself.

XXX

Bonnie Hood had lived knowing that the World was full of monsters. Ever since she was eight years old and she saw what remained of her grandmother lying across the floor of her family's kitchen, she knew there was evil and that innocents had to be protected from it. When she had hunted down the monsters that had done those horrible things to Nana, she had enjoyed making them beg as the silver spoon she had sharpened to a point cut into their flesh.

For years now, she had hunted down monsters all over the world and with the guidance of the Doctor, had made everything safer for innocent people everywhere. But now, she had come to a city that was infested with monsters, all who were willing to help the Bat, who the Doctor said was the worst monster of them all. She would kill him and Gotham would be better for the innocent people.

Looking up to the sky above, Bonnie noticed it was now dark and she wondered briefly how long she'd been hiding in the alley. She had ran the moment the explosion started and didn't stop for miles before diving into one of Gotham's many dark alleys and hiding behind the shadow of a dumpster. She had taken the opportunity to sleep and regain some of the energy she'd spent the last few days.

Bonnie Hood cursed the fact that she must have slept longer than she planned but the Bat Monster had proven to be a harder prey than she originally believed. But she would beat him, kill him and then return to the Doctor to show that she had been a good girl and done what had been asked of her. Bonnie got to her feet, noticing her dress and pinafore were stained with dirt. Grime, gunpowder and speckles of blood stained her outfit and she gave a whimper, knowing that Nana would have scolded her so much for her scruffiness.

"I'm sorry Nana." Bonnie said quietly, promising to never get as dirty again and make her Nana proud. She checked over her pockets and pouches, counting the weapons she had left. The loss of her C4 had been a blow, she was certain that the explosion would have finished off the Bat Monster but a news report on a radio she had heard said witnesses had seen him afterwards. The Bat Monster was indeed tougher than she thought if fire couldn't stop him.

No, something else was needed if she was to ever kill the Bat Monster. Bonnie stepped out of the alley, rubbing her eyes as she tried to regain her senses. The first thing to do was locate some more weaponry to be better prepared for her next confrontation with the Bat Monster. And then, she would track him down and finally kill him this time, and all the other monsters that stood in her way until the city was safe for the innocent.

Looking around the street she was in, Bonnie gave a scowl at the numerous people who walked on by without noticing her. She had realised this city was full of slaves to the Bat Monster and they would have to die after their master. She had killed Croc to let the Bat Monster what she was capable of, to let them all know that monsters should die like the Doctor said she should. It appeared that no one had listened to the message though and now she would have to kill them all.

Bonnie once more looked up to the skies and frowned as the stars didn't shine down. She remembered looking up when she was a little girl and her Nana telling her that a star was an Angel that smiled down on good girls before saying that they always smiled down on Bonnie. Knowing that Nana was among those who was smiling down on her, Bonnie found some inner strength to carry onwards in her mission with her attention suddenly drawn upwards to a helicopter going overhead.

While normally this wouldn't have bothered her, Bonnie noticed a SHIELD insignia on the side of the helicopter. The Doctor had said that SHIELD might try to bring her back in that they wouldn't understand the importance of her mission and she had to avoid them. The helicopter soon passed, seemingly without noticing her and Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief. Now she could continue her hunt uninterrupted.

Looking around the street to be sure she wasn't being followed, Bonnie started to head off; pulling a map from her pocket that had marked out various weaponry stores. She'd hit one and then work on a plan to get the Bat Monster and everything else would fall into place. She made her way through the streets cautiously, the crowds that she walked through paying her little mind as they went about their business. Bonnie noticed some give her strange looks, some were even… sympathetic?

Bonnie tried to figure out why someone would look at her like that, forgetting for a moment that to everyone else, she was a teenaged girl in a filthy dress wandering the streets by herself. Before she could ponder on the mystery further though, a man gave a shout further down the street as he pointed upwards "H-Hey! Look! It's… It's the Batman!"

Everyone turned to look where the man was pointing and Bonnie's eyes narrowed as the Batman was seen on the side of a nearby skyscraper, balancing on the top of a gargoyle as he surveyed the street. Bonnie started to push past the people in the street, drawing a gun from a pocket in her pinafore when the Batman suddenly pulled out a grappling gun from his belt and shot it over to a nearby roof before launching himself off the side of the building. With a growl, Bonnie pushed forward and started to chase him.

She wouldn't let the Bat Monster get away. She would kill him this time, once and for all.

XXX

The chase was on and Fury had been as good as his word. SHIELD agents had flooded Gotham but Captain American had made sure they were directly under his command. Going by Batman's plan, he had kept them strictly on scouting for Bonnie Hood as their primary mission while making sure enough agents followed at a distance in case it didn't work.

Once a SHIELD helicopter had located Bonnie, the plan had gone into action with Batman tracking the girl down with himself as bait to lure her to the selected spot. It was a small street in a place that was rough even for Gotham that even the official maps of the city called 'Crime Alley'. Batman said that he could stop Bonnie there but Cap wondered just how he'd plan to do that. The area had been evacuated completely to minimise the risk of casualties as well as allow Batman to work out his plan.

Crime Alley was surrounded on all sides by SHIELD agents, all out of sight as they were packed into the buildings of the surrounding blocks. All potential escape ways had been scouted and closed off with Cap standing in the control point of the entire operation, a small building that had once been a grocery store. The first floor Cap stood in allowed him a clean view of Crime Alley itself although there was little in the way of lighting, most of the street lamps either smashed or simply broken. Whatever happened would have to take place in the shadow. Batman had been oddly accepting of that and Cap reflected on the Dark Knight's insistence that no one was to interfere until he gave the signal of a bright light in case Bonnie got violent.

There were a few night vision goggles that SHIELD agents had brought with them and Cap had brought himself a pair, making sure to keep an eye on the alley in case anything went wrong. Around him in the small room, SHIELD agents waited while even more were downstairs, each waiting for the signal to come through their radios before trying to take Bonnie in.

Many of the agents SHIELD had sent appeared confused by the fact that so many had been sent in for one person but the attacks on Gotham had at least convinced them of the need to hunt the person down. Cap was determined not to let Bonnie escape this time and after reading the girl's files, had honestly come to pity the girl more and more. She had been a child when her grandmother had been killed and rather than being helped, Fury had shaped her into a weapon that had now focused on Gotham. She had killed innocent people and had to be brought in.

Cap was brought out of his thoughts when he saw a shadow dart above the roofs and knew Batman had arrived. Pulling his radio to his mouth, Cap gave the order for everyone to stand by when Bonnie followed straight after, impressing Cap with her speed. On alert, Cap went to put his night vision goggles on when a jeep suddenly pulled up down the street, out of sight of Crime Alley itself. The sudden appearance of the vehicle caught Cap by surprise, more reinforcements?

"Someone get that jeep away from here!" Cap hissed, hoping Bonnie hadn't seen it. Tearing his eyes away from Crime Alley for a moment, Cap looked at the jeep to see several soldiers get out of it when he saw the insignia on its hood. Focusing on it, Cap frowned as he read out the unfamiliar acronym and wondered what was going on "… UNIT?"

XXX

The darkened street named Crime Alley held a deep importance for Batman, one that had been embedded deep within him ever since that night when he was eight years old and the blood of his parents had soaked his hands. Batman steeled himself though; the focus had to be on Bonnie. He had to destroy her delusions to make sure she realised what she had done and then talk her into surrendering. If that didn't work, Captain America and his SHIELD agents would have to step in and hopefully take her down before too much damage was done. He was glad that he had ordered Robin to stay in the Batcave, he had to do this alone rather than risk Bonnie seeing someone new who she could have mistaken as an enemy.

Landing in the middle of Crime Alley, Batman was glad that Cap had agreed not to bug the street with any microphones and kept a distant enough perimeter for what he was going to do. The Dark Knight didn't have long to wait as Bonnie reached the top of Crime Alley and then started to walk towards Batman as she pulled a gun from her pinafore "Got you now Bat Monster…" She muttered, Batman realising how filthy the girl was, her clothes and skin stained with dirt, dust and whatever else had come from her time in Gotham.

Realising that this had to be settled now, Batman remained still as he spoke "It never stops hurting, does it?"

Bonnie's face changed expressions for the smallest fraction of a second but it returned to its look of deadly determination. Bonnie held her gun out in front of her and looked as focused as ever but that glimmer of doubt was all Batman needed to know he had a foothold "The loss of someone else." He went on "When you hold someone so close and they're torn away from you before your eyes. It's a pain that never ends no matter how long ago it happened."

The gun in Bonnie's hand shook as she listened to Batman, hearing what she had been feeling for seven years come from another person "Y-You don't know about pain!" She shouted "Monsters like you gave me my pain!"

"A Human gave me mine." Batman replied "I know about your grandmother Bonnie. She was killed and no child should have to witness that. No child should have to ever experience what we went through."

"… We?" Bonnie asked, her voice small as honest doubt echoed in her tone. Her gun lowered from its position as the Dark Knight remained still, hoping he was getting through to her.

"I'm not a Monster Bonnie. I'm Human and I lost my loved ones when I was as old as you. I have sworn to protect the innocent as you did."

Bonnie blinked her eyes rapidly and shook her head, bringing the gun back up to face Batman "N-No! You're a liar! I won't listen to lies! The Doctor said you'd try to trick me like you tricked everyone in this city! You're a Monster!"

Still not moving, not posing a threat to Bonnie, Batman gave the girl a pitying look "No, I'm not Bonnie. I know what it is to be like you. You were confused when your Nana died weren't you? It tore out a piece of you that you've never recovered and the worst part is the question of whether you could have done something. Was it all your fault?"

"Not my fault. I… I couldn't do anything." Bonnie whispered and Batman felt even worse than before as he exploited the very feelings he had in his darkest moments to his advantage. But it had to be done.

"I've told myself that when I think about my loved ones dying. I keep on going over it time after time, wondering maybe…"

"Maybe I could have saved her." Bonnie finished as she lowered her gun, her tortured mind thinking back to that day.

Despite the seemingly drop in danger, Batman didn't make a move yet, not wanting to provoke the girl when he was so close to getting through to her "We both share that pain Bonnie. Of having something taken from us in the worst possible way and then left with nothing but pain and doubt. Would a monster ever feel like that?"

Bonnie was unable to stop the tears from coming now, the girl's face creasing in pain as the truth was hitting hard "The Doctor said you were a Monster!" She cried out "He wouldn't lie to me! He wouldn't!"

"He did Bonnie." Batman said as he finally made a move, stepping slowly towards her "I don't know why but he did. I'm not a monster Bonnie, I'm as Human as you. I promise I won't harm you, I just want to help you realise the truth and make you understand."

"The truth is Monsters lie!" Bonnie retorted as she brought the gun back up and turned it on Batman "Just because you know about Nana doesn't make you Human! I killed the Monsters that took her from me and swore to do the same for everything else that would hurt the innocent!"

Despite having the gun pointed directly at him, Batman didn't waver and realised that he'd have to go deeper "It was here that it happened." He said quietly as he looked around Crime Alley "Where my loved ones were taken from me. Ever since that night, I promised that I would do whatever it took to make sure no one would suffer as I did."

The feeling behind Batman's words, almost pleading with Bonnie, made the girl hesitate once more and she wavered "Did the Doctor ever show you any proof of me being a monster?" Batman asked, aiming to strike at the foundation girl's beliefs "He lied to you Bonnie. You've been used by him and by Fury for their own ends."

"NO! THEY WOULDN'T LIE TO ME! THEY WOULDN'T!" Bonnie screamed as the hand holding the gun shook more than ever.

"They did Bonnie. They lied to you about me and Gotham. The damage you've done, all those you've hurt and killed. They were people Bonnie, same as you and me."

Bonnie's mouth dropped at this and her hand drooped as she tried to process the thought "No…" She whispered as she desperately tried to cling onto her delusions "Lies… must be lies… You wouldn't… I… I…"

Realising that he needed to make on move to finally break through Bonnie's mental defences, Batman reached down and pulled off his glove on his right hand. With his bare fingers, he reached over and placed his fingers around the hand holding the gun, offering perhaps the only Human contact the girl had known in a long time "I'm not lying Bonnie. This is who I am. As Human as you, who's suffered the same losses and made the same oath. I have never taken a life, I have never made that step."

Bonnie stared at the hand holding her hand, feeling it as Human flesh and Batman wondered if this was the first time someone had reached out to her since her own tragedy. After a long moment, Bonnie let out a sob that wracked her body and she dropped her gun to the ground, stumbling out of Batman's grasp as she fell back "B-But if you're no M-Monster…" She said as her body shook "Th-Then the b-bomb I set. It… It…"

"It killed people Bonnie. Not monsters, people." Batman repeated as he realised this point had to be made clear. She had to be confronted with her actions, make her realise that she had been manipulated and that she had done evil. If she was hidden from these now, it would only open her up denial and to further manipulation down the line.

The words did their damage and Bonnie seemed to crumple on her feet, dropping to her knees as she realised what she had done. The girl clutched her head as Batman stepped closer, knowing that she had killed people but seeing just how much she had been influenced by other people to do it. Even with the blood on her hands, Batman saw her for what she was, a child who had her life stolen from her and then turned into a killing machine to suit Fury's purposes.

Stepping over to the girl, Batman carefully laid a hand on her shoulder. The girl stiffened before finally bursting into tears as the guilt washed over her. Her entire body wracked with the grief as Batman heard here cry out "I'm sorry!" Over and over again.

Kicking the gun away, Batman pulled out a torch from one of his many pouches before switching it on and off rapidly towards the building he knew Cap was in. The message was simple Morse code telling Cap and the SHIELD agents to come pick up Bonnie. He kept a grip on Bonnie's hand as the girl seemed to be desperate for any sort of comfort from another person.

The two didn't have long to wait as the area flooded with SHIELD agents who were led by Captain America and a female soldier. Batman noted Cap's set expression and frowned, not knowing where this would lead. The soldier stopped short of Batman and gave Bonnie a sympathetic look before nodding at the Dark Knight "Brigadier McShane of UNIT. We're here to see to Bonnie."

The Brigadier was a fairly short woman, brunette with a build that showed she spent more time training than she did behind a desk. Her uniform was a para-military all black style with the insignia of UNIT below the mark of her rank on her arm, a globe focused on Europe and Africa with stylised wings on either side and 'UNIT' underneath, an insignia that was also shown on her red beret. Beside the Brigadier were two women in white coats who slowly made their way over to Bonnie.

"These women are here to help you Bonnie." The Brigadier said in a slow voice "They'll take you somewhere where you'll be nice and safe."

Batman looked to Cap who simply gave a short nod. This was legitimate it seemed, although unexpected. Slowly, Batman stepped to the side and allowed the women to help Bonnie to her feet, the girl having been wrapped up so much in her own guilt that she hadn't even noticed the SHIELD agents surround them. Cap accompanied the women as they gently but firmly guided the sobbing girl away from the soldiers and all the while she whispered "Bad girl… I'm a bad girl…"

"Poor sod." The Brigadier muttered before turning her attention back to Batman "I'd like to thank you for your help in all this. You can be sure she'll be kept securely and be given the proper treatment."

"From who? I recognise the rank Brigadier but not the organisation." The Dark Knight replied, trusting Cap's judgement but wanting answers.

A hint of a smirk appeared on the Brigadier's face before vanishing "We're UNIT, the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. We're not the original organisation to carry the name; they were originally active back in the 1970's." She paused for a moment "Or the 80's, I forget which. Regardless of that, we were reformed only recently to take on security missions." The Brigadier reached into a pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper "This is a command from the UN Security Council ordering us to take Bonnie Hood into custody. After the mess Fury made of things, they're not exactly willing to trust him with anything at the moment."

Batman unfolded the paper and looked over it, noting that it was legitimate. He handed the paper back "So what's to happen to Bonnie?"

"Psychiatric ward, most probably for the rest of her life." The Brigadier replied, frowning "I'm aware of her crimes but considering how she was used by Fury, I'm not entirely without sympathy for her."

"It wasn't just Fury who was responsible for this. Bonnie said someone else had put her up to all of this. She called him 'the Doctor'."

After saying that, Batman noted a very odd expression come across the Brigadier's face and for an instant, her entire body just stiffened. It lasted only for a moment before it passed, as if it had never happened "She must mean Doctor Hugo Strange." The Brigadier replied "He was the man in charge of her annual psyche evaluation. He's been missing ever since Bonnie disappeared."

"No surprise." Batman muttered darkly, watching Bonnie be led away slowly.

"We'll get him in the end, I can promise you that." The Brigadier said fiercely as they set Bonnie on a jeep nearby "As for now, we'll make sure she gets proper care." She turned back to Batman and gave a thin smile "I have to thank you for all your help over this Batman. UNIT could well do with a man like you with us."

"I work alone." Was the instant reply Batman gave.

Rather than pressing the matter further, the Brigadier looked around to see Cap directing various SHIELD agents "So I see." She said with a hint of amusement in her voice before turning back to the Dark Knight "Regardless of that, the offer to join SHIELD shall always be on the table. I have a feeling that you may be needing it soon."

Giving Batman a salute, Brigadier McShane turned and walked towards the jeep, stopping only to give a similar farewell to Cap. Batman watched closely as the Brigadier went over to the jeep afterwards and was surprised to see she put a comforting arm around Bonnie, the girl having descended into quiet tears after her hands had been cuffed.

"I'm sorry to have sprung that on you." Cap said as he walked back over to Batman "They arrived right after Bonnie walked into Crime Alley. I managed to fill the Brigadier in before she stormed in here." The jeep the UNIT group was in started and Cap and Batman watched as it drove away "How did you bring her down anyway?" Cap asked, turning back to the Dark Knight quickly.

"I told her the truth." Batman replied "She needed to know that she had been lied to and the full repercussions of her actions."

Cap stood in silence for a moment as he regarded this "She's only a child really." Cap said sadly "After what Fury did with her, I can't help but feel sorry for her."

"I read the profile. A child having her family torn from her before her eyes and twisted into a killer for SHIELD." Batman said as he started walking forward "I feel sorry for her too, but I also feel sorry for the people she killed more."

Cap walked along with Batman in silence, alone now as the SHIELD agents had left the area and gone back to their placements. After a moment's silence, Batman knew that there was something he had to say "I want to thank you."

Cap stopped short at that and gave a smile "For anything in particular?" He asked.

"For doing the right thing." Batman replied and decided to get this over and done with in one go "I thought you'd be one of Fury's men and report only to him. But you did right by all of us tonight."

"I always do." Cap answered "I'm not one of Fury's men Batman. I'm a man of the Justice League, not SHIELD."

Batman said nothing in reply, the fact that the two were separate finally creeping up on him. He instead walked towards the nearby buildings, getting out his grappling gun "It was good working with you Captain. I know I can trust you in the future."

"You could have trusted me anytime." Cap pointed out although he knew this was as close to a partnership he'd get with Batman. There was one more issue that he had to look into though "When you spoke with Bonnie, how did you get her to stand down?"

"I gave her the one thing no one else has given to her for seven years."

"What was that?"

The grappling hook shot its load into the air, hitting a nearby building "Empathy." Batman replied before he was pulled into the air, leaving Cap alone on the street as he reflected on Batman's flair for the dramatic. After a moment in thought, Cap then turned and started walking for the police station. Unlike Batman, he had to help with the after incident reports and would have to start soon if he wanted any sleep that night.

XXX

Despite the lateness of the hour, Batman found he was not the only person in the Batcave. While it wasn't uncommon for Alfred to be down there with medical kit in hand, Dick and Julia should have been asleep by now. Getting out of the Batmobile, a harsh glare from the Dark Knight was met with collective defiance "We just wanted to see that you were OK, that's all." Dick said quickly.

"I'm fine." Batman replied "You know I always am."

"Only after you come in Master Bruce." Alfred pointed out, looking somewhat relieved that he wouldn't have to put his medical knowledge to use as Bruce walked past him "Aside from the news, your brief report did not give us much information or comfort."

"The news?" Batman asked, stopping in his stride as he looked to Alfred, a dark suspicion rising in his mind.

"I'm afraid Master Bruce, that the days of Batman being a mere urban legend are no more."

"It was all over the news." Dick said from his spot sitting on the rail next to Julia "People at the scene of the explosion managed to take some videos of you. I only saw it when I came in from school. It's mostly blurry and from before the police arrived, but everyone now knows there's a Batman."

Batman let out some air as he realised that the genie was now out of the bottle. He'd been worried that this might have happened but was so concerned with the SHIELD operation that he'd put it to the back of his mind "I was wondering when this day would come." He said mostly to himself "It might make our job harder."

"When you let me take part in the job." Dick interrupted, not without some resentment in his voice.

Realising the extent that he'd kept them all out of the loop, Batman explained what had happened since the explosion. His discovery of Bonnie's past, the SHIELD operation and the appearance of UNIT "I had to do this alone. If anyone had stepped in before Bonnie had surrendered, she could have easily thought it was all a trap."

"I'm still here for you Bruce." Dick said "No matter how hard things are, we are a team."

"And that means you have to stick to what I say!" Batman responded harshly before taking on a more conciliatory tone "I have to play things close to the chest. If you had known where I was, would you have stayed put or would you have tried to help, despite my orders?"

Dick paused, giving Batman the only answer he needed "There will be times when I have to act alone or ask you to stick with plans that you won't like but I do this for the good of the city."

"Well I never doubted that part at least." Dick said with a grin "Just don't forget that we're in this as well. Except Julia perhaps, she's still a bit little for this."

A look from Julia at the sound of her name made Dick grin again as Alfred gave him a smile of his own "Considering you have yet to beat her in any of your contests Master Richard, perhaps Miss Julia could be an adequate aid on the nightly escapades."

Taking off the cowl, Bruce chuckled slightly at that "Maybe not Robin though, something different. How about Sparrow?"

"How about the fact I'm not giving up my night job." Dick retorted "And I'm just waiting for the right time to beat Julia, have to let her build up her defences before I go all out on her."

A smirk crossed Julia's face as she read Dick's cockiness in his body language and leapt off the rail, standing before him as she got into a fighting pose. Dick glowered at Julia before smiling "Not at the moment short stuff." He said as he hopped off the rail "Tomorrow, that's when I'll take you on and beat you."

"I shall fix the scoreboard for such an occasion Master Richard." Alfred said "I believe the tally currently stands at in her favour by a large amount. I myself lost count at the triple digit mark."

Bruce looked over to the three and smiled before his face turned serious at the thought of Julia actually being part of the team… and promptly dismissed it from his mind. He didn't want to do that until he knew more about her and he couldn't subject someone that young to it "I think it's time for you to be in bed." Bruce said before adding "Thanks… All of you, for your concern. But this war has to be fought my way. I won't let you, or the city down."

After exchanging their goodnights with Bruce and Alfred, Dick and Julia headed up the stairs with Dick promising that he'd definitely beat her at something tomorrow. Bruce watched them go before turning to Alfred "And thank you Alfred." He said.

"Whatever for Master Bruce?"

"Tonight made me realise how close things can be at times when tragedy strikes." Bruce answered "If I hadn't had your guidance when I was young, I might have easily have turned out like Bonnie."

Alfred looked touched at this rare display of emotion from Bruce and gave a small smile "I doubt that Master Bruce. For as much as you stand on the edge of the abyss, you have yet to fall into it. If I have played a part in helping you avoid such a fall, it was only by following the example of your parents."

Both men remained in silence for a moment, before Bruce turned towards the stairs "It's Saturday tomorrow." He said "Maybe all of us could take the day to have a picnic on the grounds."

Bruce noticed Alfred's smile widen somewhat as they both knew that it was something Bruce had done with his parents when he was a boy "I shall make the arrangements in the morning Master Bruce." He answered "Perhaps with some of my own chocolate cake added to it all?"

"That'd be good." Bruce replied before stopping on the stairs, thinking about how popular Alfred's cake was "Best make two of them." He said before walking up the stairs, his heart lighter for knowing that for one short day, he would be able to allow the Bat to lift from his soul.

UNIT Central Control, Geneva, April:

"It's the same as some of the others we've brought in Brigadier." Captain Erisa Magambo said as she laid down several sheets of paper onto McShane's desk "Hood's background radiation, her blood type and a hundred little details are all different in several microscopic ways but correspond to one of the groups we've distinguished."

McShane leant back in her chair and drummed her fingers on the desk, her small and packed office already crowded with similar reports on the numerous bookshelves and surfaces "Which one is it?" She asked, her mind focusing on two things.

"Group C." Magambo said as she pointed towards one of the pieces of paper "As you can see, we've checked her information against several dozen others and it's irrefutable that she doesn't belong here."

"Or we don't." McShane countered with a grim smile. Ever since various government agencies had discovered that there was something… odd to the background of the Universe, the last few months, the build towards finding out the what and why was turned to one organisation and UNIT had been reformed.

It had been barely noticed at first, mystics only perceiving something on the edge of their sight. But science had soon caught up and five distinct groups of people were being identified. There were no differences aside from minor biological aspects that were only distinct upon investigation. Several months of quiet work between government organisations and several sorcerers had all pointed towards the same conclusion.

The very fabric of the Universe had split into five separate pieces with the people in it showing five distinct auras.

This revelation had led to the rebirth of UNIT and one of its own projects, The Beacon "Has there been any progress from the Beacon?" McShane asked, hopeful for even the slightest sign.

"None whatsoever Brigadier." Magambo replied "Aside from Bonnie Hood's test reports, we have nothing else to look into."

"How is Bonnie doing?" Mcshane asked after a pause, her tone a bit softer now as she thought about the girl.

"She's been sedated since she went into the facility. Her treatment is due to begin tomorrow." Magambo answered, a bit surprised by the sudden change in subject "Will you want updates on her condition?"

"Daily ones. And put more power into the Beacon. That is all Captain." It was a simple enough project Mcshane reflected as Magambo left to fulfil her orders. A beacon that broadcasted across the Universe that sent out two sentences. Two sentences that could help solve this mystery and perhaps save everyone if things were as bad as they feared.

"_Earth needs help. Send the Doctor."_

Mcshane looked to her numerous files regarding the five groups and pursed her lips. If this mystery wasn't sorted out soon, she had no idea what would happen "Where are you Professor?" She mumbled, her mind turning to the adventures she had when she was younger and knowing that he could help them once again.

But the Doctor had to be found first. And Brigadier Mcshane was getting a dark feeling that time was running out…

To be continued…

**Well that was a long one in writing. This is a continuation of my Five Worlds crossover that was a more unified attempt at a story rather than a series of short pieces like the other two. Hope you enjoyed reading it and leave a review if you like. Hope you liked!**


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